This item is limited to 1,000,000 units and priced at an absurdly low $40.00, so order yours today! Collectors will be eating this figure up...like candy!

The first wave, "Epic Battles," will ship to Target stores nation wide. The line will pit Clone Troopers, Stormtroopers and Imperial troops against Separatist droids, bounty hunters and Rebel soldiers. Refresh waves will include repaints of the various trooper figures.

Wave 2 in April 2007 will be "Duel of the Fates" and include Sith and Jedi figures from all 6 movies in the Star Wars Saga. Sold exclusively to Wal-Mart stores, the line will include some figures with action features and will see the return of the metal lightsaber hilts and magnetized hands.

Toys-R-Us will see its wave ship in July 2007. This wave titled "The Outer Rim" will be packed with secondary characters and creatures from Jabba's Palace, the Cantina and various other scenes from the Saga.

October's release to on-line etailers will be called "Empire vs Rebellion." Expect to see some of your favorite Separatist, Imperials and Rebel heroes.

Each retailer will also have several Deluxe figures that will come with small environment pieces or small vehicles.

Says Hasbro's Star Wars brand manager Benjamin Dover, "As exclusives we can get a little more creative with some of our choices of figures. We'll have plenty of new figures but will re-task some old favorites where they make sense."

When asked about the price he continued, "With the line being exclusive, the retailers have asked for some added value to their figures. That means you'll see protective cases and possibly some new accessories packed in with the figures. Expect to see major retailers like Target and Wal-Mart sell in the $9.99 range while the on-line boutique stores will be in the $12.99 to $14.99 range."

There is no word if ailing KB Toys or K-Mart will have Star Wars toys come 2007. "We really didn't get the feeling that a lot of people shopped for their toys at these stores," said Dover. "We may see about offering them some items for the Christmas season but our only open stock items going forward from 2007 will not be toys. Look for school supplies, clothing and books."

What most people want though today is everything they feel they deserve, right now, instant gratification! Why for the love of god do people who cannot attend a convention expect to be able to get that item? Remember the Gentle Giant Clone Trooper busts? Some people were so irate about not being able to buy the exclusive they flat out quit collecting that particular product! Why not just shrug it off, add it to your list of things to be on the lookout for and pick it up later down the road? I just love reading forums where average people think they know how big business licensees SHOULD be run. If they know so much why are they still stocking shelves at Wal-Mart and living in a one bedroom apartment?

I ended up doing really well. I was particularly happy about one score. I ended up getting Greedo for a song, and the condition was a lot better than I was expecting. Greedo is probably the most coveted of the set, especially offerless. (Note to Andrew McGinley: Sorry buddy. I had to find one for myself before I could start looking for one for you.)

So anyway... it wouldn't be bragging without a snazzy photo. Feast your eyes on my babies:

As you can see, I ended up getting ALL of them offerless. That wasn't on purpose. I would have got Luke X-wing or Snaggletooth with the Fett offer if one popped up, but nice offerless ones just came to market first. The offerless set actually does look pretty nice, if I do say so myself.

Believe it or not... I now only need eight of the twelve 12-backs for a full run of 96. Of course, the total for five of those will be more than what I paid for my car. Vader. Han. Obi-Wan. Luke. Leia. Not cheapies. Time to start saving my pennies (heh... like I ever do that). I'll probably be getting most, if not all of them on SW20 or SW21 cards just to save a little money. The only affordable ones I have left to get are Chewie, Stormtrooper and Death Squad Commander. They shouldn't set me back too much if I'm patient. The fun part is going to be figuring out an efficient eBay search string so I can find them all.

Hey Bill,

I was hoping that you could help me out by posting something on your main page about some charity auctions that some of the customizers from JediDefender.com are posting on ebay to benefit the victims of Hurricane Katrina. 100% of the proceeds from these auctions are going to the American Red Cross. I'd love to see these get as much exposure as possible to raise as much money as we can. The first auction was posted here:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6000809018

Here's the forum thread at Jedidefender.com if you want to check it out:

http://www.jedidefender.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=9374.45

You can also add a bit about any other SW fans that want to help, they can contact me or just look on ebay for instructions on listing items for charity contributions. This isn't limited to customizers from JD.com, anyone is free to help, it's just that is where I saw it and that's where I posted about it. Hopefully we will have plenty of others posting items in the very near future. I'm hoping to have many more links to send as well, if you don't mind.

Thanks so much,
Dave Castle
Webmaster, JediDefender.com

So there you go. Plug posted. Good deed done. BUT WAIT... that's wasn't enough for these bandwidth-grubbers. A couple days later I got this follow up:

Hey Bill, sorry to be a pain in the ass, but we just added our second auction if you wouldn't mind throwing it in with the other listing I sent you?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6001671986

Thanks, I appreciate it ;)

Dave

• Ultra RARE Sigma ceramic Hoth Turrent music box, featuring C-3PO!!!
• Uber RARE loose Blue Snaggletooth in crappy condition
• Ridiculously RARE Celebration3 DCSWCC/OSWCC/PSWCS patch - 1 of 500!!!
• Insanely RARE Celebration3 DC/OH/PA patch PROTOTYPE - 1 of TEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• Haphazardly mass-produced (but still RARE) Vintage MOC ESB 4-LOM CB UP ICUP
• Super RARE OOP Clone Wars Padme Maquette #688 or 1000

I don't know if those are gonna raise the $950 I need to pay for my loose figure set, but it's a start! And hey... maybe if some of my readers here actually bid on a few of them I'll do better than I'd hoped. You know... since nobody clicks on the Google Ads ever... it's the least you could do.

And keep an eye out for a couple more auctions that'll be posted Thursday night. I'm working on an eBay masterpiece. An epic. I've photoshopped up all but 3 of the images I need, and it's looking good. I'm gonna put it up Thursday night and run it for 10 days with a couple more random items. And I'll update this story with the links. You REALLY don't want to miss that one.

UPDATE: As promised, here's the info for the additional eBay auctions:

First of all, I'm auctioning off one of my extremely coveted, limited edition, super-high quality custom carded Droids-style action figures. This one is from my Emperor's Royal Guard run. #3 of 10 produced. Don't miss it!!

The second one is what I was talking about earlier. It's my first foray into the realm of eBay auction comedy. I have this Droids Glasslite C-3PO... EXTREMELY rare, but missing a leg. I got a replacement a while ago, and was just waiting for the right time to unload it. I figured I'd get creative, so I PhotoShopped up a bunch of photos and made a little story about him. I tried to be funny. Hopefully it'll be funny. And then hopefully people will pass around the URL to all their friends and it'll become this big phenomenon and I'll get a million views. And then Golden Palace Casino will pay me $50,000 for the thing. That's my dream. You can help me make it happen. Check out:
Buy my broke-ass Threepio - PLEASE!!

Is that awesome or what? One of my best ever!!

Alright alright. I kid. I kid. But I gotta tell you, it was a damned tempting option. All these drawings I gotta do... I'm almost forced to cut some corners! But I won't, because I'm just too damned customer-centric. There's nothing like seeing the expression on a happy owner's face when they open their new art. Except... I always send away my art in the mail... hundreds of miles away... so I never get to see that expression. All I ever get it the money.

EXCEPT THIS TIME! This time I did get to see the expression on my customer's face, because he E-mailed it to me. And of course I just gotta share his happiness. Allow me to introduce the newly-elected President of OSWCC and proud owner of the latest "Cable Original" - Josh Vardous.

Doesn't he look happy? Sort of? Well, he was happy in his E-mail! And I suppose I should share exactly what he was happy about. Behold the real next "Cable Original," Snowtrooper!

When asked about his thoughts on the Red Sox new intimidating pitcher, George Steinbrenner’s reaction was one of disbelief. "That thing is an animal and should not be allowed on the freaking mound. And let’s not forget his agent, she’s a real ball breaker."

"The Jeditronzo13 Excellence Award is given to those whom I deem worthy and display integrity, auction accurateness, quick payment, polite responses and most importantly do not gouge on shipping."

I bestow upon you the coveted Jeditronzo13 Excellence Award for superior service!

Buy my broke-ass Threepio - PLEASE!! Glasslite Droids

The auction has been very successful. As I write this, over 1350 views. Pretty damned impressive. And it even spawned it's own thread in the RebelScum forums:
Best Auction Description ever.. lol

The publicity has been nice and all... but it's not enough. I want to spread this laughter to the masses!! I want it to grow beyond the Star Wars collecting niche, and span the globe! I've sent it to a few "funny eBay auction" sites, but none have posted it yet. If you have any suggestions where I should send it, pass it along. Or feel free to promote the auction yourself. If you enjoyed it... thought it was funny... it'd be a crime NOT to share it! Don't you think?

If you win he'll come packaged with the finest silk sheets (published daily by the New York Times) and crystal (clear bubble, supported to make it anywhere in the world), ready to entertain all the ladies in your stable...uh, I mean "collection."

Colt .45 not included.

I need the money and you guys know Cable isn't paying, so check this suave mother out and bid, bid, bid!

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6004328113

I'm also selling a complete Series 1 set of die-cast Titanium vehicles from Wal-Mart. The set is made up of a TIE Fighter, X-Wing, Millennium Falcon and Slave I. Like a Treasure Hunt car into a Hotwheels collector's basement, this wave disappeared from Wal-Mart stores fast and hasn't shown up since.

If you've been looking for these here's your chance to score the entire set all at one time!

Q: I hear the Early Bird kits are showing up in peoples' mail, but I haven't seen mine yet. As a paranoid person, I have two hypothetical questions for you: 1. When should I start worrying? 2. What should I do if mine doesn't come? A "what I'd do" answer is all I'm looking for here

A: 1 Tuesday, January 17, 2006 at 4:34PM GMT. 2 Run around your house/apartment building crying like a baby and flapping your arms. Screaming "I want my toys" may help you feel better.

This week on CC.com I have an interview with an extremely rare creature, one so rare only a few people have ever heard of one, much less see one. I am speaking of the Star Wars Widow. For pity's sake all names have been changed to keep certain people out of trouble (me).

Baldy: So you are the wife of a Star Wars collector?

Lynda Cable: Hi! Uh huh. I'm also a mom and a professor!

Baldy: I suppose this proves that even nerds and geeks *can* meet real women and actually even get married....

LC: Awwww he's not a nerd. Is he?

I delivered my latest art to my patron in person last Saturday. He lives nearby, and I was in the mood for a little trip. It was a good decision, as our daughters had a blast together. Anyway, in talking to him... absorbing his awe at my artwork... I came to the conclusion that the reason I have SO MANY pieces reserved is because my price is just too low considering the quality of the workmanship. With that in mind, I've decided it's time for me to proudly announce:

A PRICE INCREASE!!!

From this point forward, the latest "Cable Original" is going to run you two more fins. Ten more bones. A portrait of Alexander Hamilton.

I mean, it's simple economics. I can't draw at a pace necessary to fill all my orders in a timely manner. It's gonna be August 2006 before my latest patron gets a Gonk. So when demand outstrips supply, prices gotta go up. If I don't a single other deposit before then, then that'll be my signal to drop the price back down.

Oh, and don't you worry, all you people who have already paid a deposit. Your price won't change. IF you want to give me an extra $10 out of the goodness of your heart I won't refuse it. But our deal has been struck and I'm in no position to change it.

But enough business... ain't ya curious about what sort of vision would prompt my buddy Mike to gasp "I really didn't pay you enough money for this thing?" Here you go... Kit Fisto:

Of course, I'm assuming we get more than one new reader every other week....

10. "I just don't know whitch to open and whicth to not to open." - GreenDay101
9. "have a big lots here and no i havntr seen any starwars figs whatso ever. just abounch of generic toys and maybe gi jos" - lordofthesith
8. "there were only 400 republic commando maquettes made so its hard to find an item rarer than this that said a Mace Le at retail would be a see to believe cause thats a steel for someone" - DarthMatrix
7. "How can I found out when Excluseves come out??" - Bib_Fortuna
6. "i say you tear there skin off then u stick nails through there eye balls rustys nails that is then u poor gasoline on them and light them on fire thatll show the little punks" - evilmonkey
5. "DUDE i mean why are you asksing us i mean check online for a price gide or something stop asksing us." - darth_yaddle
4. "His not that rare." - Vaderman
3. "I NO A name cherkoiee." - darth_vaddle
2. "Plus, Action Fleet was like having smaller versions of the bigger version vehicles" - Jedimon2001
1. "Come guys stop please just stop plus I can spell Marvel legends and there made by TOYBIZ I think" - GreenDay101

This year, an exciting observation has struck me about this year's "Plano Show" (a.k.a. the Dallas Comicon). No, it's not the obvious Rebelscum profiteering motif (more about that later) that's rampant throughout the event, it's the celebrity autograph placements.

Check out this somewhat hard-to-read map of the Plano Centre, location of the "Plano Show" in Plano, Texas (this is where it gets the name, in case you didn't catch that part already). http://www.scifiexpo.com/dcc-floorplan.asp

Let me direct you to the location of the two apparently more distinguished guests, Jonathan Frakes of Star Trek TNG fame, and Genie Francis (who the Hell is this?). They take the main stage in the exhibit hall, where the likes of Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker and Peter Mayhew have been known to reside in past years. Now, follow down and along "Artist Alley" to the west main Exit of the facility. Oh, wait, go back just a bit. I think you missed it. Well, hold on. Down that main strip horizontally you'll see the men's room. The tables in front say "Official Pix tables". Now, look just to the right of that... YEAH!

Carrie Fisher, in all her glory, is being placed right at the entrance to the men's sh*thouse! We all know what a great and bawdy sense of humor our Carrie has, so she's sure to make the best of it. Just make sure it wasn't YOU that hit the head right before you shake her hand - and for God's sake - wash first!

Now, why has Carrie been sentenced to such a dismal place for signing her popular autographs?

Follow the west-most vertical hallway to the main entrance (bottom left of the diagram). Three rooms from the bottom on the right. Yep, you guessed it! Rebelscum has reserved their own private room for "sales", and poor Carrie is reduced to post-toilet confrontations with just a hint (kiss) of Lysol. I wonder what Rebelscum is "selling"? Custom-autographed face masks for your Carrie-Fisher-queuing enjoyment? Pine fresheners to dangle around your neck as you wait? Revenge of the Sith-branded moist towelettes?

http://www.potf2.com/potj/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=9167

Here is a list of more outlandish toys scheduled for release next year that we at cc.com have gotten our grubby hands on.

Due dates are at the front of each description.

• 2-15-06 Multi Battle Packs: Jawas 4 Jawas in differing shades of brown, 2 with weapons, 2 with pawn receipts.
• 2-28-06 The Jar Jar Binks Lite Bright The famous toy from the 50's updated with all Jar Jar layovers. Sorry, no extra reds for gratuitous blood.
• 3-20-06 The Life Size Lumpy Wookie Doll Its Chewies son in life size form! Fleas and ticks at no additional charge.
• 4-1-06 Anakin Tatooine figure With slashing action feature
• 4-2-06 Anakin Tatooine figure Same as above with red eyes
• 4-3-06 Anakin Tatooine figure Same as above with blue eyes
• 4-4-06 Anakin Tatooine figure Same as above with one blue and one red eye
• 4-5-06 Anakin Tatooine figure Same as above with no eyes
• 4-6-06 Anakin Tatooine figure Same as above with Jawa lightup eyes
• 4-7-06 Anakin Tatooine figure Same as above.... aw heck no matter what we do you guys will buy it
• 6-6-06 Darth Maul reissue with Devils Tail, Pitchfork and Cloak
• 7-22-06 R2D2 and Friends Multipack 6 Droid figures with R2 as the leader and YOU get to name the rest!
• 8-26-06 Bossk Hounds Tooth Bounty Hunter Ship 3 3/4 inch scale ship for the BEST bounty hunter that Lucas created EVER
• 9-17-06 C-3PO Discovery Channel Edition Your favorite droid in a light pink shade for his appearance on the Queer Eye for the Straight Guy show. Includes ribbons, latte and fluffy pillows.
• 10-10-06 Qui Gon Jin 12 inch Ghost figure In a great picture window box so you can see his ghostly form at all times. Please do NOT open the box as he may escape.
• 12-1-06 Yoda in Tron Lightcycle The bad Jedi in an even badder ride! Hey, why not? We know it will sell since it will be labeled an exclusive for EB.
• 12-25-06 Daddy Lucas in Santa Suit Only for sale on Christmas at Target stores in South Carolina and for 17 minutes. We wont say which stores or which 17 minutes either.

A: Well Jonathon, I should hope that you don’t have a “Proud parent of an honor student” sticker on the back of your mini-van. Daddy’s little fifth grader needs to go back to the third grade. The last time I checked $40.00 divided by 5 figures is $8.00. Maybe you should go back to the third grade as well. Your daughter would be so proud, you two can even share Snack-Packs.

Q: There are a zillion clone variants available across all the toy lines right now. My question is why has Commander Cody been totally ignored? He actually had lines in the movie, which puts him head and shoulders ahead of a load of toys that have been made. Enough of the Anti-Cody bias! -Brad Collier

A: Brad, how many zeros are in a zillion?...

Click here for the rest of the story.

Comic continuation
Posted by: Bill Cable 11.02.05 12:01am
This week's comic continues the story of last week's comic. After reading Tom's idea, I came up with a humorous variation all my own. You can check it out in this week's "The Cantina" Comic Strip!!!

Brach's Exclusive Trooper Set
Posted by: Tresob Yr 11.02.05 12:01am
Seeing what a bundle the Mpire has been making, everyone's favorite candy corn manufacturer decided it wanted a cut of the action. So Brach's came to none other than Creature Cantina to solicit the designs for our Candy Corn and Indian Corn troopers. To celebrate the post-Halloween sugar rush, Brach's is offering an exclusive clone trooper three-pack...now featuring the very hard to find (and look at) Candy Pumpkin Trooper!

Master Yoda Joins the Allies in Iraq!
Posted by: Tresob Yr 11.02.05 12:01am
(actual news...we’re not faking it this time!)

P.S. Master Yoda also happens to be my uncle, so I totally expect to milk some mad SW fan street creds out of this.

Give us Your TOYS!!!
Posted by: Bill Cable 11.02.05 12:01am
It's that time of year again... time for me to earn back another set of those damned photos that those rat bastards at Garrison Carida have been holding over me. For the last time, that sheep was constipated!!! Uhhh... sorry for that outburst.

Click here for all the details of the 2005 PSWCS/Garrison Carida Toy Drive

Sneaky bastard
Posted by: Bill Cable 11.09.05 12:01am
Though I only today posted a new "Cable Original" drawing, I've already started working on my next. And that inspired my latest comic. Enjoy this week's "The Cantina" Comic Strip!!!

Prototype released for new six-foot Star Wars Transformers
Posted by: Tresob Yr 11.09.05 12:01am
Every collector is excited to get their hands on those franchise-crossing, pencil-necked, Star Wars Transformers. In fact, Hasbro has such faith in this line, that they've been busily working on a super-scaled, transformable model of the Imperial AT-AT*. The designers have really outdone themselves with this one! Check it out here:

(This link provided by stewbacca of the DCSWCC)

OT: lizards aren't my only fetish
Posted by: Baldy 11.09.05 12:01am
I don't have anything SW related but damn if I didn't get a gem from ebay. I'm posting this up for some fun cause the guy is just too much especially with his replies.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=8335653541

Dex's Diner part Trois
Posted by: Tresob Yr 11.09.05 12:01am
Some Tip...

After some quick jury rigged repairs, WA-7 tries to make her way home from Dex's Diner...

"Cable Originals" 1 step closer to landmark
Posted by: Bill Cable 11.09.05 12:01am
The countdown to 100 continues with my 98th completed "Cable Original." Actually, I suppose it's a count-up rather than a countdown, since the numbers are ascending. At any rate, I've completed another great piece of artwork. This one was described as "awesome" by its elated new owner. And nothing makes me more content than another satisfied customer.

The character this time is Darth Vader (wearing Hayden Christensen's face) as he storms the Jedi Temple on Coruscant. I didn't want to do the standard marching pose from the trailer. It's effective and all, but not very exciting, especially as a static frame. Believe me, I tried. So I decided to move the camera around to find a more interesting angle. And I think I did. Feast your eyes on the next great addition to the "Cable Original" Star Wars Art Gallery:

The comic
Posted by: Bill Cable 11.16.05 12:01am
Let's see... who sent in stories this week. Me. Tresob. Imagine that...

After a week in a band-aid, it's pretty much all better. And it was good enough Monday for me to draw this week's "The Cantina" Comic Strip!!!

Dex's Diner part IV
Posted by: Tresob Yr 11.16.05 12:01am
After hearing about what a good time Kenobi had with his clones, Yoda decides to treat Gree to lunch at the Diner. Unfortunately, with WA-7 still out of commission, Dex is forced to run the diner Panera-style...

Happy Birthday Julia!!!
Posted by: Bill Cable 11.16.05 12:01am
Today, November 16th, is my daughter Julia's 4th birthday! It seems like just yesterday that I was posting her photo here with the green face and the Yoda ears. Now I'm posting photos of a little girl, not an infant...

Now of course it isn't necessary for you, my loyal readers, to buy her a gift or anything. That's what grandparents are for. But if you really want to... well, she's a surprisingly avid Star Wars fan. She loves those little Galactic Heroes figures. But what she really loves is Vintage carded figures. Particularly 12-backs. She needs Vader, Obi-Wan, Luke, Han, Leia, Chewie, and DSC. You can send those to Julia Cable, c/o Bill Cable.

Padme pulls it off!!!
Posted by: Bill Cable 11.16.05 12:01am
Some weeks things just go your way. This is one of those weeks. A few weeks ago, CreatureCantina.com ran a plea to vote for Padme in the Sideshow Collectibles 12" EU figure poll. At the time, Padme was just about dead last.

On Friday the winner was announced. And guess who won - PADME! Behold the power of CreatureCantina.com!!! From last to first only after CC.com starter campaigning for her! And to think of all those advertisers out there who fail to take advantage of our services. It's just a shame.

So it looks like I'll be ordering one of these puppies. I was pretty happy Mara Jade ended up losing. Of all the six characters, she was the one I was least interested in. I was pretty geeked to see Padme ascend to victory.

BTW, Sideshow it taking pre-orders on the Luke Jedi. If you want one, USE OUR BANNER! We'll make a few pennies. What nicer way to support our site? Click the banner and pre-order, before they're all gone!! You saw how quickly the Sideshow exclusive sold out, right?

The regulars give thanks
Posted by: Bill Cable 11.23.05 12:01am
It's Thanskgiving. Time to ponder the things that make your life wonderful. And thinking about it... I don't have enough space here to list all my blessings. Family. Friends. Money. Lots and lots and lots of Star Wars toys. There's just not enough space. So let's focus on what the regulars in the Cantina are thankful for in this week's "The Cantina" Comic Strip!!!

You'll shoot your eye out!
Posted by: Bill Cable 11.23.05 12:01am
You remember the good old days? The good old days when the phrase "potential for serious eye injuries" was reserved to long-barreled rifles that propelled little iron pellets at flesh-rending speeds? When, you know, there was a REAL potential for serious eye injuries? Yeah... those were the days. Not like now, when you can slap that tag on a Star Wars toy that shoots... get this... Silly String! SILLY STRING!!! Are they nuts?? You could unload an ENTIRE CAN of Silly String into your eye socket at 6" and it'd barely cause you to blink. Can these guys be serious??

10 most dangerous toys

Thanksgiving Special...
Posted by: Tresob Yr 11.23.05 12:01am
Ever wonder who exactly you are giving thanks to on Thanksgiving? C-3PO is about to find out...